Gang punching machine



Oct. 27, 1964 H. H. FREDERICK ETAL 3,

GANG uucnmc MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 22, 1959 Harv/a H. Frederic/r Ward A. Bouw'er Oct. 27, 1964 H. H. FREDERICK ETAL 3,153,966

GANG PUNCHING MACHINE Filed June 22, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 q- 23 haz'zfans Hare/a H. Freden'ck Ward A Bouw'er- Oct- 27, 1964 H. H. FREDERICK ETAL 3,

GANG PUNCHING' MACHINE Filed June 22, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 fianfa'rs Harold H. Frederic/\- Wara' A. Bouw'er 1964 H. H. FREDERICK ETAL 3,

GANG PUNCHING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 22, 1959 Vl ardA Bauwer ww4 ai Oct. 27, 1964 H. H. FREDERICK ETAL GANG PUNCHING MACHINE Filed June 22. 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Mun F g. 6 I

firs Harald H. Frederic/r Ware A. Boaw'er United States Patent 3,153,966 GANG PUNC G MACHHNE Harold H. Frederick, Wheeling, and Ward A. Bouvier,

Wanconda, 15]., assignors to General Binding Corporation, Northbrook, ill, a corporation of Illinois Filed June 22, 1959, Ser. No. 821,8E9 1 (Jlaim. (Cl. 83571) This invention relates to improvements in punches and more particularly relates to an improved form of gang punch adapted to punch stacks of sheets of paper to be impaled on plastic binding elements.

A principal object of the invention is to provide an improved form of gang punch arranged with a view toward utmost simplicity in construction and operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a gang punch in which the punching pattern may be selected at the will of the operator.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved form of gang punch in which the punches are mounted independently of the pressure bar operating the punches, to accommodate the punching pattern to readily be selected, and in which the punches are positively moved downwardly to effect a punching operation by a vertical movement of the pressure bar acting directly thereon, and are positively moved upwardly to be stripped from the sheets being punched by upward movement of the pressure bar.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved form of power punch utilizing a continuously rotating motor and flywheel for driving a pressure bar for actuating the punches, in which a novel and improved form of control is provided for the pressure bar, preventing actuation thereof after making a complete punching and return stroke, without first opening the control switch therefor.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of power punch in which a gang of punches free from the pressure bar, are operated through selectively positional set pins slidably guided in the pressure bar, and in which a simple and effective overcenter leaf spring arrangement is provided to lock the set pins in their effective and ineffective positions.

These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings where- FIGURE 1 is a front end view of a power punch constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the punch shown in FIGURE 1, with part of the cover broken away and other parts shown in horizontal section;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken substantially along line IIIIII of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken substantially along line IVIV of FIGURE 3 with certain parts removed;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view showing certain details of the control mechanism for the one-way clutch, controlling operation of the punch;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged detail view with certain parts broken away and certain other parts shown in section in order to show the overcenter leaf spring arrangement ice holding a set pin in a position ineffective to actuate a punch;

FKGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary detail front end view of the pressure bar and guide plate with the guide plate broken away in order to illustrate the overcenter leaf spring arrangement for holding the individual punches in effective or ineffective positions;

FIGURE 8 is a wiring diagram showing the circuit diagram controlling operation of the punch.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, I have shown a punching machine 10, including a main frame 11 having a detachable cover 12 extending along the sides and back of said main frame and opening to the front thereof to expose a guide plate 13, mounted on and extending in advance of a pressure bar 15, and with said pressure bar 15 forming a guide means for a series of set pins 16, positionable to register with individual punches 17, to effect operation thereof in a selectable pattern, as will hereinafter more clearly appear as this specification proceeds.

The main frame 11 includes a front table or platform 19 in front of the pressure bar 15 and guide plate 13, upon which the sheets to be punched are placed, and moved into engagement with a back gauge 26, adjustable to vary the positions of the punched holes from the back of the stack of sheets, as desired.

The back gauge 20, as shown in FIGURE 2, is pivotally mounted at its opposite ends on two spaced bellcranks 2i and 22 vertically pivoted on the table 19 rearwardly of the pressure bar 15 on pivot pins in the form of machine screws 23 and 24, respectively. The bellcranks 21 and 22 are rocked to adjust the position of the back gauge 25) by means of a link 28 pivoted to the bellcrank 21 on the pivot pin 25, and pivoted to a lever 26 intermediate the ends thereof. The lever 26 has a forked upper end portion 27 extending along opposite sides of an eccentric 29, rotatable by a knob and the like (not shown) to adjust the position of the back gauge 20, in an obvious manner.

The pressure bar 15 is rigidly secured adjacent its opposite ends to two rocking arms 30, extending transversely of the main frame 11 and pivotally mounted adjacent their rear ends on pivot shafts 31, mounted on upright supports 32 extending upwardly of the main frame 11.

The pressure bar 15 and rocking arms 30 are supported on drive links 33, pivotally connected to the rocking arms 30 intermediate the ends thereof on pivot shafts 35. The drive links 33 are journalled at their lower ends on eccentric pins 36, extending from opposite ends of a longitudinally extending drive shaft 37, journalled in the main frame 11 inwardly of the crank pins 36 on spaced bearings 39.

The punches 17 are rectangular in form to punch rec tangular holes in a stack of sheets, to accommodate the stack of sheets to be impaled on the rectangular fingers of plastic binding elements. Said punches are slidably supported in an upper guide plate 39 and a downwardly spaced stripper plate 40 for cooperation with die apertures 41 in a die plate 43. The guide plate 39 and stripper plate 46 are mounted on opposite sides of a bar 44 spaced above and extending along the back gauge 20.

The punches are positively stripped from the stack of sheets by stripper arms 45 secured to the back of the pressure bar 15 and depending therefrom and extending under a stripper bar 46 abutting at its upper side, indiareaoae $3 vidual pins 47 extending through the punches 17. Connpression springs 49 are interposed between the upper side of the stripper plate 40 and the underside of the stripper bar 46 and encircle certain of the punches 17, to bias the stripper bar 46 into engagement with the pins 47 and to thereby effect positive raising movement of the punches by operation of the stripper arm 45, upon upward movement of the pressure bar 15.

As shown in FIGURE 3, the punches 17 extend upwardly within a downwardly opening slot 50, extending along the pressure bar 15, into registry with the individual set pins 16.

As previously mentioned, the set pins 16 are slidably guided in the guide plate 13 and pressure bar 15, and are positionable to extend within the slot 50, to effect a punching operation and are movable outside of said slot out of registry with the associated punch 17 to render the punch ineffective to effect a punching operation. The set pins 16 are moved into their effective and ineffective positions by manually pulling or pushing thereon, and are retained in their effective and ineffective positions by the overcenter positions of leaf springs 51. The leaf springs 51 are shown in FIGURE 7 as being punched from a common spring plate 52 mounted between spacer bars 53, spacing the guide plate 13 outwardly with respect to the pressure bar 15. The spring plate 52 is secured to the inner spacer bars 53 as by machine screws 54, which may be threaded within the pressure bar 15. A plurality of spring plates 52 are spaced along the pressure bar 15, in accordance with the length of said pressure bar and the punches carried thereby.

The lower end portions of the leaf springs 51 extend within slots 55 formed in the set pins 16. It may be seen from FIGURES 3 and 6 that the leaf springs 51 are moved past a dead center position when the set pins 16 are in their inwardly extended effective positions and thereby hold said set pins in their elfective and ineffective positions during oscillatory movement of the pressure bar 15, and enable the punching pattern to be selected at the will of the operator without removing the set pins from the pressure bar 15.

Referring now in particular to the drive means for rotatably driving the shaft 37 and moving the pressure bar up and down, a motor 56 is shown in FIGURE 2 as being mounted on the main frame 11. The motor 56 may be a well known form of electric motor, and is shown as driving a transverse shaft 57 through a pulley and belt drive, indicated by reference character 59. The transverse shaft 57 has a flywheel 60 on its outer end and is continuously driven by the motor 56 as long as a main switch 61 for the motor is in its ON position. The transverse shaft 57 is suitably journalled in the main frame 11 on spaced bearings 63 and 64 and has a worm 65 formed integrally therewith meshing with a worm gear 66 on a sleeve 67. The sleeve 67 is journalled on the shaft 37, for free rotation with respect thereto, on bearings 69.

As shown in FIGURE 4, the worm gear 66 abuts a flange 70 extending radially outwardly of the sleeve 67 and is secured thereto as by machine screws 71. A thrust bearing 73 abuts the end of the sleeve 67 adjacent the bearing 39 to take the end thrusts thereon.

The sleeve 67 is a part of a one revolution clutch 75 and has jaws 76 thereon adapted to be engaged by jaws 77 of a clutch sleeve 79 of the one revolution clutch. The jaws 77 are biased into engagement with the clutch jaws 76 by a compression spring 80, seated at one end on a collar 81 extending outwardly of the shaft 37, and seated at its opposite end on the opposite end of the sleeve 79 from the jaws 77.

The jaws '77 are disengaged from and are held from engaging the jaws 76 by a pin 83, slidably guided in a guide frame part 82 of the main frame 11, and engageable within a slot 84 formed in the shaft 37, to positively hold the shaft 37 from rotation when the pin 83 is in its inwardly extended position shown in FIGURES 4 and 5.

The pin 83 extends within a camming slot 85 formed in the clutch sleeve 79 and opening to the shaft 37 and slot 84. The camming slot 85 has an angular camming face 85 engaged by the pin 83 by the bias of a spring 87, to effect disengagement of the jaws 77 from the jaws 76 as the pin is engaged within the camming slot 85 by the spring 87. The spring 87 is seated at one end on a collar 89 pinned or otherwise secured to the pin 83 and is seated at its opposite end on a casing 90 for a seal 91.

The pin 83 is withdrawn from the slot 84 and the camming slot 85 by a solenoid including an electro-magnetic coil 93 and an armature 95, having a bifurcated end portion 96 extending along opposite sides of a flattened por tion 07 of the locking pin 83, and connected thereto as by a pin 99.

The electro-magnetic coil 93 is shown in FIGURE 8 as being energized upon the closing of a switch 100, which may be a foot switch. As shown in FIGURE 8, the electro-magnet 93 is energized through main line conductors 101 and 103 through the main starting switch 61, the foot switch and the stationary and movable contacts 104 and 105 respectively of a relay 106. The relay 106 includes a coil 107 initially energized through conductors 109 and 110 and a switch 112, upon closing of the foot switch 100. This will open the circuit through the stationary and movable contacts 104 and 105 and deenergize the electro-magnet 93 and will close a circuit through holding contacts 111 and the movable contact 105, holding the coil 107 energized and the switch 105 open after the punching operation.

As the rocking arms 30 are moved downwardly to effect the punching operation, one rocking arm 30 comes into engagement with the switch 112, to close said switch and complete an energizing circuit to the coil 107 and effect the closing of a circuit through the stationary and movable contacts 111 and 105, holding the coil 107 energized upon opening of the switch 112 by upward movement of the rocking arm 30, as long as the foot switch 100 is in its closed position. This prevents closing of a circuit through the stationary contacts 104 and energizing of the electro-magnet 93 until the foot is removed from the foot switch 100 and the relay 106 is reset, and thereby prevents continued reciprocation of the pressure bar 15 and operation of the punches 17 in cases where the punches may once be operated and the foot may remain on the foot switch 100.

While we have herein shown and described one from in which our invention may be embodied, it should be understood that various modifications and variations in the invention may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof, as defined by the claim appended hereto.

We claim as our invention:

In a gang punch,

a main frame,

a pressure bar mounted on said main frame for vertical movement with respect thereto,

power means for vertically moving said pressure bar in a punching and return direction,

a row of punches and cooperating die apertures spaced beneath said pressure bar,

means mounting said punches on said main frame for vertical movement into and out of registry with said die apertures,

said pressure bar having a downwardly opening slot extending therealong,

a guide plate secured to and spaced in advance of said pressure bar above said downwardly opening slot and extending therealong,

spaced spacer bars spacing said guide plate in advance of said pressure bar,

a series of set pins slidably guided in said guide plate and pressure bar for movement into and out of said slot into positions effective and ineffective to effect a punching operation,

and means positively retaining said set pins in elfective and ineffective positions with respect to said punches comprising a leaf spring clamped at its upper end between said spacer plates and spaced by said spacer plates equal distances between said guide plate and said pressure bar and having a plurality of parallel spaced fingers depending therefrom,

each set pin having an upwardly opening slot therein and said fingers having interengagement with said slots and moved past center positions to snap said set pins into extended and retracted positions with respect to said downwardly opening slot in said pressure bar upon manual positioning of said set pins tions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Simmions Dec. 29, 1936 Grappe Jan. 4, 1949 Wood Nov. 6, 1951 Welk May 5, 1953 Yinger Sept. 27, 1955 Borchardt Apr. 17, 1956 Taylor Aug. 28, 1956 Duncan et a1 Oct. 25, 1960 Mentzer et a1 May 23, 1961 

